Argentina’s ‘prestige’ tossed away, claims Ossie Ardiles

After the painful 3-0 defeat by Croatia on Thursday night, the Argentina inquest has been long and loud.

Yesterday, World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles launched a scathing Twitter attack on the national team following their chastening defeat, taking aim at the players, coach Jorge Sampaoli and the Argentinian Football Association.

He claimed the “prestige” earned by past Argentinian sides had been tossed away and that the team’s decline since the last World Cup — when they finished runners-up — had been disguised only because of the “unrivalled genius” of Lionel Messi.